How I Lost 20 lbs In a Month Without Exercise.

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Let me first start off by saying that NOT exercising isn’t a good thing, don’t get me wrong. However, I will be brutely honest with you and tell you that right now, this momma is busy. I maintain a home of 3 growing boys who all go to different activities during the week AND I maintain a full-time business at home. I really just don’t have a lot of time. I mean, can you relate? Us moms usually find that we want to take care of ourselves but we are always last on the list– we take care of everyone else before ourselves.

You might recall, last month I was approached by a company called NorCal Healthy Solutions (No prescriptions, no pre-packaged foods and not an exercise program, see more about it here) and they were very interested in having me do a review on their products– uh, YES! 🙂 This really kick started it for me this was a sign that it was time to get my stuff together, devote the time needed and stop being sad about my thighs “touching” 😀 Side note: These are pants that I eventually made holes in the thigh area because of my thighs rubbing together. This eventually happens to all.of.them. I am so over it!

You might be thinking.. okay, Josie– get off your lazy butt and do something about it! For the last 5 years, I have given every ounce of effort that I could into exercising– I tried to eat healthier, But I also suffered from aggressive depression, which leads to a lot of emotional eating for me. Sadly, only things like chocolate, little Debbie snacks and foods packed with sugar made me feel “better”. Of course, that was only a temporary solution so I would eat more and more. To the point where I grew an addiction to sugar. Sugar addiction is REAL ya’ll.. I didn’t even think this was possible until I started paying attention to what I was eating thanks to the NorCal Healthy Solutions meal plan. Check out their plans.

Not only did I receive awesome natural supplements to keep me from overeating– The first 21 days, I successfully detoxed from sugar and refined carbs just by watching what I eat. Can I tell you what this did for me?? detoxing from sugar was a HUGE thing for my body. I literally lost 10 pounds the first two weeks because of this. It also made me aware of how much sugar is in the food we eat… its EVERYWHERE! You might be thinking: I’m not really a sugar person, but I am not happy with my weight. I can’t say that the reason you aren’t happy with your weight is because of sugar (I’m not a doctor of course) but you will be surprised at how much sugar you eat in a day that is added to foods that we think are “ok”. Example: How many times have you picked up a juice from the fruit section thinking “This is good for me, I’m going to buy it and drink the entire thing! woohoo, I just got my entire serving of fruits and veggies” — wrong Did you know that according to the American Heart Association, women are suggested to have just 25 grams of sugar a day?

Here is an example of a popular “health juice drink” that claims to have no added sugar. Yes, some of this sugar is from the fruit– however, MOST of this sugar is the added fructose in the apple juice, plum puree and the other ingredients they label. Check out this label below: 53 grams of sugar! That is over double what a woman should have in one day. Yes, one could argue that you are getting a lot of sugar because of the fruit–however, this particular company recently went through a lawsuit and settled to pay 9 million dollars to consumers (remember that settlement check you applied for?) AND they agreed to remove the “all natural” from their labels. So, if this sugar was all “healthy sugar” then why would they agree to remove the “all natural” from their label?

This post is not to bash companies– its more just to make you aware. Things that you don’t realize as unhealthy for you, could be the reason for why you are suffering. I dare you. Start paying attention to what is on the label of your favorite foods and calculate how much sugar you actually take in your body a day.. it might surprise you. Its not just these fruit drinks.. its everywhere. Look at the baby food pouches that we use to give or toddlers. Anything that lists “Juice concentrate” in the ingredients most likely has added sugar. Could you imagine just feeding your child a straight spoon of sugar? uh.. no.

It was very clear that my body was addicted to sugar after about 1 week. I had headaches, I was very irritable and my depression was coming back full force. In the process of changing my eating habits, I learned that I had a bad yeast-overgrowth going on in my body, which REALLY explained why I was craving sugar so bad. Yeast feeds on sugar, it’s how it grows.

So here I am, 35 days of no sugar, dextrose (another name for sugar), fructose, galactose (more names for sugar), cane sugar, honey and artificial sweeteners. I have also given up gluten by choice and I am eating well and losing weight daily. I make a meal plan to help accommodate my new lifestyle and eat lots of yummy foods! The best part is that I am never hungry and I still get to eat yummy desserts like pictured below (thanks to a lot of research, I found several GOOD natural sugars and I can’t even tell the difference!) In the last month, I have made a few changes to my diet but the sugar was probably the hardest. Now that I’ve detoxed– I no longer have cravings and I feel SO good. Yes, I have to make most of my meals– but its the small sacrifice that I am making to lose weight while still being a working, crazy, busy mom. My next goal is to eliminate added sugars from my kids and hubby’s diet. I believe its a strong factor into some behavioral issues we have.

Please let me say that I’m not telling you what to eat, I am just sharing my personal experiences. I am still going to post deals and finds for you that I might not agree with because honestly, its why you are here. First and foremost, my job is to help you save money. 🙂

Hey Josie! Thanks for sharing. I also struggle with depression,weight, and yeast problems. I have been doing so much research to find out what’s wrong with my body lately. I know excess sugar and toxins are a big part. I am also trying to balance hormones amongst other things. One thing that has helped is switching to sparkling waters! I’m addicted and happy about it.I’ve been more and more aware about whats going in our body. Trying to memorize all the different names for sugars,chemicals, undigestibles etc. More people are catching on and so are the companies. A lot of great changes made in 2016,still so far to go. I feel your story does help save $ and lbs. in different ways. Lookin good keep it up!

Congrats Josie! I’ve been doing the same thing (real, whole food) since November and have lost over 40 lbs! I too learned I had a major Candida overgrowth and through the guidance of a nutritionist, I’ve learned how to live without sugar. Besides eliminating sugar completely, I also went gluten-free and grain-free. I’ve learned to enjoy veggies and protein at every meal. It’s incredible how your body learns to feel full on real, whole food, instead of surviving off of the spikes that sugar gives you. I feel so good and have about 30 more lbs to go. I just recently added in some exercise a few times a week, but yes, weight loss is 70% what you eat and only 30% exercise. Food makes all the different. If you wanna read more about my journey, I’ve been blogging about it too: http://afrugalhome.com/category/personal/weight-loss/ Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring others!

So proud of you! I went through – well actually still going through the same thing. For let I gave up sugar and carbs thinking it would be “easy” and I would lose weight. I’m down 16lbs which is awesome! but it’s challenging at times. At eat clean most of the time even before doing this so I had no idea how addicted to sugar I truly was – even as a health coach it sneaks up on us all. So glad to be rid of it, to actually have more clarity of mine and focus and to simply just feel good about my health! Kuddos to you my dear and keep up the great work

I wish all of you the best of luck I think all of you are making great choices. I just want to throw in that if we all just really, really reduce the amount of processed food we eat, we are going to get away from sugar and chemicals. I try to “Just Eat Real Food” Look up Sean Croxton on his podcast from underground wellness. That is his motto. Its sort of paleo but not. Since I started eating real food, I feel so much better, have lost weight, and my digestive issues (including candida) are under control. I do have to admit though that I don’t coupon the way I used, but its worth it! I do sometimes get depressed that we have a great deal on something that I just won’t buy my family anymore, but oh well, we are all doing better. Josie, keep us posted

I am so happy & proud of you. Approx 3 years ago I joined a small boot camp gym and the owner used to tell me its not only about how much you exercise its also about what you put in. What foods are you feeding your body. I joined their Body Transformation Challenge and was given recipes & food guidelines to follow (modified paleo). There was a list of foods you couldn’t eat and refined sugar was one of them. I have to say that it was hard but I’ve noticed results. I did not count calories. I would eat until I felt full. That’s when I discovered how much sugar/additives/preservatives are in a lot of the foods we buy at the grocery stores. I started making an effort in cooking my own meals and when going to restaurants not eating certain things because of the way it made me feel. I feel so much better.

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU!!!
I can’t believe you posted this, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
After having twins 10 years ago, I got depressed and it never went away.
And no, I had never had depression before.
I went off my anti-depressants in September 2015 after 8 years!!!
Without any doctors help!!!
Yes, I cried for months!
Yes, I should have had a doctor help me, but I didn’t.
On top of all the depression, I am going through pre-menopause (im on my 10th month)!!!
I have gained weight, mood changes & hot flashes.
I am now seeing a new doctor.
Things are NOT easy. I was never over weight or depressed.
I know that I need to eliminate my sugar!
Unfortunately, I cannot pay for the plan you listed but you have encouraged me to ELIMINATE SUGAR.
Any and I MEAN ANY tips that you can share on detoxing please feel free to share!!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR JOURNEY!

Thanks for sharing ! I’m a single mom with thyroid issues I’ve gained 75lbs since my son dealing with depression as well . I enjoy your coupon tips! Hopefully we can find more healthy products to coupon now hat I’m dieting as well . Congrats! On the wieght loss !